The new Tory frontbench: Meet David Cameron and his all-Conservative government

The all-Conservative cabinet gets down to business for the first timeGetty

David Cameron has been able to appoint the first all-Conservative government since 1997 after he secured a shock majority at the general election.

The prime minister's reshuffle has seen most of the big Tory beasts kept in the same roles as the coalition government days. But there have been some notable expectations.

Michael Gove has been appointed justice secretary, where the former journalist will oversee the scrapping of the Human Rights Act.

The Scotsman stirred up controversy as education secretary by taking on what he called "The Blob", which was apparently made up of anti-reform academics, teachers' unions and bureaucrats. Will he face the same problem from the legal professionals?

Elsewhere, Cameron has promoted Sajid Javid to business secretary. The Lancastrian is the son of a bus driver and is one of Britain's few high-profile black and ethnic minority (BAME) politicians.

With his compelling personal story and solid set of hands to match, the 45-year-old could be a future Tory leadership contender. But time will tell if he can fill Vince Cable's big shoes at the Department for Business and Innovation.

Meanwhile, Cameron would have pleased the right-wing of his party after he appointed John Whittingdale as the new secretary of state for culture, media and sport.

The Maldon MP will oversee the renewal of the BBC's charter and once described the TV licence fee as "worse than a poll tax". Can we expect fireworks?

Robert Halfon and Boris Johnson have also been rewarded by Cameron, who has appointed the pair as ministers without portfolio. In Johnson's case, it is more a shrewd move by the prime minister to keep the celebrity mayor of London and newly appointed MP happy.

But Halfon's promotion seems to be based on his hard work in and out of Westminster. The Harlow MP was able to secure a cut in fuel duty from the Treasury during the last parliament.

On top of that, the cerebral palsy sufferer was seen by the side of the road, billboard in hand, fighting to win back his marginal seat at the general election. The 46-year-old was also appointed the new deputy chairman of the Conservative Party.

Number 10

David CameronGetty

Cameron will lead his new government and the country from the historic nerve centre of British politics, the prime minister's office in 10 Downing Street.

The Old Etonian will no longer have Nick Clegg and the Liberal Democrats to worry about. But Cameron's backbenchers may give him some sleepless nights, especially when it comes to his proposed 2017 referendum of the UK's membership of the EU.

Position

Name

Age

Constituency

Sex

Prime Minister

David Cameron

48

Witney

Male

Parliamentary Private Secretary

Gavin Williamson

38

South Staffordshire

Male

Cabinet Office

Oliver LetwinGetty

Oliver Letwin has been put in charge of the Cabinet Office. The Tory first entered parliament in 1997 at the start of the New Labour years. The 58-year-old is the son of two intellectuals and he will need all of his brain power to put through Cameron's reform agenda.

Position

Name

Age

Constituency

Sex

Cabinet Office minister

Oliver Letwin

58

West Dorset

Male

Lord President of the Council

Chris Grayling

53

Epsom and Ewell

Male

Civil Service Reform Minister

Matthew Hancock

36

West Suffolk

Male

Parliamentary Secretary

John Penrose

50

Weston-super-Mare

Male

Minister without Portfolio

Robert Halfon

46

Harlow

Male

Minister for the Constitution

Sam Gyimah

38

East Surrey

Male

Minister for Civil Society

Rob Wilson

50

Reading East

Male

The Treasury

George OsborneGetty

The Treasury and Number 10 were once pitted against each other when New Labour architects Gordon Brown and Tony Blair played out their own cold war.

Ed Miliband, then a special adviser to Brown, relayed messages between two camps, earning him the nickname "emissary from Planet F**K" by Blair's people.

But Osborne and Cameron have been able to heal the rift between the two most powerful offices in Britain. The Oxford graduates are close friends and in many ways Osborne was able to secure Cameron the general election victory by overseeing good economic growth.

Position

Name

Age

Constituency

Sex

Chancellor and First Secretary of State

George Osborne

43

Tatton

Male

Chief Secretary to the Treasury

Greg Hands

49

Chelsea and Fulham

Male

Financial Secretary to the Treasury

David Gauke

43

South West Hertfordshire

Male

Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury

Damian Hinds

45

East Hampshire

Male

Economic Secretary to the Treasury

Harriett Baldwin

55

West Worcestershire

Female

Commercial Secretary to the Treasury

Lord Deighton

59

N/A

Male

Foreign Office

Philip HammondGetty

With the threat of Islamic terrorism both at home and abroad, as well as a military crisis in the shape of Ukraine. The foreign secretary will have an enormous role to play in the run up to the end of the decade. Philip Hammond, the 59-year-old Runnymede and Weybridge MP, will be representing Britain on the world's stage alongside Cameron.

Position

Name

Age

Constituency

Sex

Foreign Secretary

Philip Hammond

59

Runnymede and Weybridge

Male

Europe Minister

David Lidington

58

Aylesbury

Male

Foreign Affairs Minister

Hugo Swire

55

East Devon

Male

Trade and Investment Minister

Francis Maude

61

N/A

Male

Minister of State

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

67

N/A

Female

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State

James Duddridge

43

Rochford and Southend East

Male

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State

Tobias Ellwood

48

Bournemouth East

Male

Ministry of Defence

Michael FallonGetty

With the SNP calling for the non-renewal of the Trident nuclear defence system, defence became a hot topic during the general election campaign.

Tory grandee Michael Fallon caused a stir when he claimed Ed Miliband would "stab Britain in the back" by making concessions to the nationalists over the deterrent if he gained power.

Despite the provocative comments, Fallon has been reappointed as the Conservatives' defence secretary. The big question is whether the 62-year-old and the government will commit to Nato's 2% a year GDP military spending target.

Position

Name

Age

Constituency

Sex

Defence Secretary

Michael Fallon

62

Darlington

Male

Minister for the Armed Forces

Penny Mordaunt

42

Portsmouth North

Female

Minister for Defence Procurement

Philip Dunne

56

Ludlow

Male

Minister for Reserves

Julian Brazier

61

Canterbury

Male

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State

Mark Lancaster

44

Milton Keynes North

Male

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State

Lord Astor of Hever

68

N/A

Male

Home Office

Theresa MayGetty

Theresa May is back. The home secretary will oversee the Conservatives' plan to introduce the so-called "Snoopers' Charter", otherwise known as the Draft Communications Data Bill. The controversial legislation would force internet service providers to collect data on their users and allow the security services to trawl though the masses of information.

Position

Name

Age

Constituency

Sex

Home Secretary

Theresa May

58

Maidenhead

Female

Security Minister

John Hayes

56

South Holland and the Deepings

Male

Police Minister

Mike Penning

57

Hemel Hempstead

Male

Immigration Minister

James Brokenshire

47

Hornchurch

Male

Modern Slavery Minister

Karen Bradley

45

Staffordshire Moorlands

Female

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State

Lord Bates

53

N/A

Male

Ministry of Justice

Michael GoveGetty

Michael Gove was seen hitting the pavements as the Tories' chief whip during the election campaign and now he has received his rewarded from Cameron.

The 47-year-old is the government's most Marmite figure: his allies see him as a great reformer, battling vested-interests for the good of the nation; meanwhile, Gove's enemies paint the Scotsman an an arrogant TV baddie who refuses to listen to outside advice.

Position

Name

Age

Constituency

Sex

Justice Secretary

Michael Gove

47

Surrey Heath

Male

Police Minister

Mike Penning

57

Hemel Hempstead

Male

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State

Shailesh Vara

54

North West Cambridgeshire

Male

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State

Andrew Selous

53

South West Bedfordshire

Male

Civil Justice Minister

Lord Faulks

64

N/A

Male

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State

Dominic Raab

41

Esher and Walton

Male

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State

Caroline Dinenage

43

Gosport

Female

Attorney General's Office

Position

Name

Age

Constituency

Attorney General

Jeremy Wright

42

Kenilworth and Southam

Solicitor General

Robert Buckland

46

South Swindon

Advocate General for Scotland

TBA

Department for Business

Sajid JavidGetty

Future Tory leader? A wannabe prime minister? First Sajid Javid, the 45-year-old MP for Bromsgrove, must prove himself at the Department for Business. The ministry was under the rule of the Liberal Democrats when Vince Cable headed the office during the coalition government. Now Javid will want to make it his own mark on the ministry over the next few years.

Position

Name

Age

Constituency

Sex

Business Secretary

Sajid Javid

45

Bromsgrove

Male

Universities Minister

Jo Johnson

43

Orpington

Male

Small Business Minister

Anna Soubry

58

Broxtowe

Female

Digital Economy Minister

Ed Vaizey

46

Wantage

Male

Skills and Equalities Minister

Nick Boles

49

Grantham and Stamford

Male

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State

George Freeman

47

Mid Norfolk

Male

Trade and Investment Minister

Francis Maude

61

N/A

Male

Intellectual Property Minister

Baroness Neville-Rolfe

62

N/A

Female

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State

TBA

Department for Work and Pensions

Iain Duncan Smith and Priti PatelGetty

Iain Duncan Smith resumes his role at the Department for Work and Pensions. The former Tory leader will want to make sure the government's Universal Credit scheme is truly back on track. But controversy will follow him throughout his tenure as the Conservatives are expected to slash £12bn in welfare spending during the parliament.

Position

Name

Age

Constituency

Sex

Work and Pensions Secretary

Iain Duncan Smith

61

Chingford and Woodford Green

Male

Employment Minister

Priti Patel

43

Witham

Female

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State

Justin Tomlinson

38

North Swindon

Male

Pensions Minister

Ros Altmann

59

N/A

Female

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State

Lord Freud

64

N/A

Male

Department for Education

Nicky MorganGetty

Loughborough MP Nicky Morgan has been reappointed to head up the Department for Education. The 42-year-old will want to continue to put her own stamp on the ministry after taking over as secretary of state for education from Gove in 2014. It is also important that Morgan works with neighbouring departments to help solve the UK's skills shortage.

Position

Name

Age

Constituency

Sex

Education Secretary

Nicky Morgan

42

Loughborough

Female

Equalities Minister

Caroline Dinenage

43

Gosport

Female

Skills and Equalities Minister

Nick Boles

49

Grantham and Stamford

Male

School Reform Minister

Nick Gibb

54

Bognor Regis and Littlehampton

Male

Children and Families Minister

Edward Timpson

41

Crewe and Nantwich

Male

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State

Sam Gyimah

38

East Surrey

Male

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State

Lord Nash

66

N/A

Male

Government Equalities Office

Position

Name

Age

Constituency

Sex

Minister for Women and Equalities

Nicky Morgan

42

Loughborough

Female

Skills and Equalities Minister

Nick Boles

49

Grantham and Stamford

Male

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State

TBA

Department of Health

Jeremy HuntGetty

Jeremy Hunt has been reappointed as health secretary. Andy Burnham and Labour claimed the Tories would cut funding to the service and increase privatisation. But the Conservatives countered these allegations with an additional £8bn-a-year funding pledge for NHS England. If the government cannot live up to the promise, Hunt could be for the chop.

Position

Name

Age

Constituency

Sex

Health Secretary

Jeremy Hunt

48

South West Surrey

Male

Care and Support Minister

Alistair Burt

59

Bury North

Male

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State

Ben Gummer

37

Ipswich

Male

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State

Jane Ellison

50

Battersea

Female

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State

George Freeman

47

Mid Norfolk

Male

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State

The Earl Howe

64

N/A

Male

Department of Energy

Amber RuddGetty

Amber Rudd is from the Tories' 2010 batch of MPs. The 51-year-old served as a parliamentary undersecretary of state for climate change at the end of the coalition government and she has now been promoted to energy secretary.

The former financial journalist once hired extras for Richard Curtis's successful romcom Four Weddings And A Funeral. Let's hope there is not too much drama at the Department of Energy.

Position

Name

Age

Constituency

Sex

Energy Secretary

Amber Rudd

51

Hastings and Rye

Female

Minister of State for Energy and Climate Change

Andrea Leadsom

51

South Northamptonshire

Female

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State

Baroness Verma

56

N/A

Female

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State

TBA

Department for Environment

Liz TrussGetty

Liz Truss continues as energy secretary in the all-Conservative administration. The 39-year-old South West Norfolk MP read philosophy, politics and economics (PPE) at Oxford. The degree has become the diploma of British statesman as every politician and his dog seems to have taken the multi-discipline course.

Department for Local Government and Communities

Greg ClarkGetty

Wave goodbye to the Conservatives' flag-loving former secretary of state, Eric Pickles. The no-nonsense northerner has been replaced by Tunbridge Wells MP Greg Clark. The 47-year-old hails from Middlesbrough and served as universities, science and cities minister under the coalition.

Clark's brief will cover one of the most talked about issues in Britain today – the country's housing shortage. The Tories have promised to have 200,000 new homes available at a discount for first-time buyers in a bid to abate the issue. The good doctor Clark (PhD, London School of Economics) will be at the steering wheel of the scheme.

Department for Transport

Patrick McLoughlinGetty

Not long after Patrick McLoughlin was given back his ministerial key-card, the 57-year-old was presented with his first challenge – a strike. No, London's Tube drivers are not threatening to walkout again. The transport secretary faces a national crisis.

Network Rail workers have voted for industrial action in a dispute over pay. The strike could see Britain's trains come to a halt if the dispute is not resolved. McLoughlin will want to set his stall out early but will the RMT union embarrass the Derbyshire Dales MP?

Position

Name

Age

Constituency

Sex

Transport Secretary

Patrick McLoughlin

57

Derbyshire Dales

Male

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State

Andrew Jones

51

Harrogate and Knaresborough

Male

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State

Robert Goodwill

58

Scarborough and Whitby

Male

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State

Claire Perry

51

Devizes

Female

Department for Culture and Sport

John WhittingdaleGetty

Did Cameron have mischievous thoughts when he appointed John Whittingdale? Who knows, but the Maldon MP is not a fan of sacred cows. The new culture secretary has called for reforms to the TV licence fee system.

His promotion prompted The Daily Telegraph's chief political correspondent, Christopher Hope, to label the move "a declaration of war" by Cameron on "Auntie". We will see if Whittingdale is more warrior than diplomat.

Position

Name

Age

Constituency

Sex

Culture Secretary

John Whittingdale

55

Maldon

Male

Digital Economy Minister

Ed Vaizey

46

Wantage

Male

Minister for Sport

Tracey Crouch

39

Chatham and Aylesford

Female

Department for International Development

Justine GreeningGetty

Justine Greening has been re-appointed as the secretary of state for international development after winning an increased majority in his Putney seat at the general election. The 46-year-old will oversee the UK's humanitarian response to the most recent earthquake in Nepal.

Position

Name

Age

Constituency

Sex

International Development Secretary

Justine Greening

46

Putney

Female

International Development Minister

Grant Shapps

46

Welwyn Hatfield

Male

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State

TBA

Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales Offices

Theresa VilliersGetty

The insurgent SNP has pushed further devolution up the legislative timetable. But one of the troubling constitutional questions is whether the other members of the union will be handed more powers from Westminster.

Cameron has stirred things up with his post-Scottish referendum "English votes for English laws" pledge. It will be on the offices of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales to sell the government's new measures to the devolved assemblies.